Maybe this is the biggest lesson learned from the election—not that Obama had a brilliant ground game, or that candidates should always assume that at a “closed door” fundraiser, even the waiters have video capability, or that a Deus ex machina like a hurricane can screw up even the best-laid plans.

No, it’s that the times they are a-changin’ when it comes to the demographic makeup of this country, and that the old politics of sowing loathing, hatred and fear in a tribal way can no longer deliver the numbers it used to. Sure, if you play the game right, you can still get an angry white man to reliably pull the lever your way because the psychologists have told you that fear is the greatest motivator in politics.

The problem, however, is that the members of this cohort are dying off, even while their greatest nightmare is coming true: hordes of brown people are swarming like ants over the country they love. They visualize themselves as those redcoats in pith helmets at the ramparts of some log fort in the Veldt, holding off spear-carrying Zulus with Enfield rifles, knowing that at some point they’re going to run out of ammo.

Now, they could fight to the last man—and the outcome would be ugly as well as inevitable, or they could open the gates to the stockade and adapt by sharing power with the invaders. Better part of a loaf than nothing, right?

Some diehards won’t see it that way, but the smart ones—especially the ones who realize they have something to gain for themselves and future generations—will learn to incorporate the hopes and dreams of the erstwhile enemy into their own set of aspirations.

Yes, change can be a scary thing, particularly when you’re used to running things, but only the most confirmed ideologue wants to die for a lost cause.